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Best SSD Hard Drives of 2018 – Solid State Drives

Solid State drives are the only way to go in 2018. The performance difference is huge when compared to hard drives of the past. We hope you enjoy our first computer hardware feature found at techradar.com.

There are few things that will increase computer performance as easily and as noticeably as an SSD. Loading times evaporate when compared to similarly-sized hard drives, and unlike hard drives, there are no mechanical parts to break down or wear out.

The lack of mechanical parts makes SSDs lighter, smaller and exponentially faster than their hard drive counterparts, so they make excellent upgrades for laptops, by slicing down a few ounces and helping facilitate air-flow in desktop PCs.

Solid-state drives have come a long way in terms of technology, and more importantly, price. Capacities continue to increase while prices drop. More recent advancements like PCIe interfaces make SSDs even faster. If you’re looking to give your computer a kick in the pants, here are the best ways to do it.

Best SSD: Samsung 960 Evo

Capacity: 250GB/500GB/1TB | Interface: PCIe | Warranty: 3-years

This is the top SSD on the market, and with good reason. It’s astonishingly fast, with up to 3200 MBps read and 1900 MBps write speeds. That’s due to the PCIe interface, which allows light-years faster speeds than the already extremely quick SATA interface. On top of that, it’s available with up to 1TB capacity. And it only requires 5.7 watts of power when active and a mere 1.2 watts when idle.

Best gaming SSD: Kingston HyperX Predator

Capacity: 240GB/480GB/960GB | Interface: PCIe | Warranty: 3-years

M.2 form factor

Available half-height adapter

Kingston’s HyperX line-up is aimed squarely at gamers. Its headsets are known for being much higher quality than their price might hint at, and HyperX customer support is excellent. Its line of SSDs for gaming computers come in an M.2 form factor, but are also available with a half-height adapter that plugs into your PCIe like any other expansion card.

Best NVMe SSD: Samsung 960 Pro

Capacity: 512GB/1TB/2TB | Interface: PCIe | Warranty: 3-years

Excellent speeds

Available up to 2TB

The NVMe standard is designed to maximize the strengths of solid-state drives, and the Samsung 960 Pro takes full advantage. With an M.2 form factor and ridiculous read speeds of up to 3500 MBps, these SSDs are already enticing, but the fact it’s available as large as 2TB is incredible. All that storage doesn’t come cheap, but if you need lots (and LOTS) of fast storage, it’s definitely worth it.

Best PCIe SSD: Toshiba OCZ RD400

lots of sizes

fast read/write

If you’re looking for plenty of options, the Toshiba OCZ RD400 series of drives come in 4 sizes and three different form factors: M.2, M.2 2280, and add-in card (AIC). Not all sizes are in all form factors, so if you’re looking for a fast 1TB drive, make sure you have room in your computer case.